Here's the press pass issued to me when I was the founding editor of a weekly newspaper, 92101, which was distributed at locations all around downtown San Diego.
Getting this pass meant a lot to me and my staff, because it meant that the police department recognized that we were a legit newspaper offering dependable substantive content to the community.
It also meant that I could finally walk up to a crime scene, step right under the yellow police tape, and confidently say, "It's okay, officer, I'm with the press," right before I got clubbed in the head with a flashlight for having no idea how such things work.